Mount Vernon Mayor Richard Thomas has been fervent in his efforts to restore and revitalize Memorial Field.Photo Credit: ContributedMount Vernon Mayor Richard Thomas (top row, third from right) was among the delegation to accept more than $12.5 million for Westchester County from Gov. Andrew Cuomo.Photo Credit: Mayor Richard Thomas

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MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. - The revitalization efforts at historic Memorial Field got a big boost on Thursday, when New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo awarded Mount Vernon $2 million at the Regional Economic Development Council.

On Thursday, Mount Vernon was awarded $1,641,928 to investigate and repair the city’s sewer infrastructure; $520,000 for the redevelopment of Memorial Field and $40,000 to develop an arts and cultural master plan for the city.

Mount Vernon Mayor Richard Thomas has made the revitalization of Memorial Field a priority during his first year in office. He has also stressed the importance of expanding opportunities to rapidly improve the city’s aging infrastructure.

“New York State has joined the team to move Mount Vernon forward,” he said. “We are so thankful to Cuomo and the Regional Economic Development Council for listening to us and recognizing how important it is for Mount Vernon to restore Memorial Field, repair our sewers and keep our reputation as the birthplace of arts music and culture.”

In total, $750 million was divided between 10 regions throughout the state to help fund capital projects and stroke local economies.

Of the $750 million, the Hudson Valley received a total of $83.3 million, the highest of any of the regions. Westchester County projects received a total of $12.5 million, including a $2 million grant for the Yonkers Sports Event Center to be built by the Armory Foundation, which will add 137,000-square-feet of recreational space downtown.

Thomas praised Public Works Commissioner Ralph Uzzi and Dolph Rotfield Engineering for their work submitting the projects to the Council.

“I couldn’t be more grateful for our team. (Ralph) has brought in millions for the city, plowed record amounts of snow and got the tennis bubble up at Memorial Field under tremendous constraints,” he added. “His work ethic and skill set are unmatched and I’m grateful that Mount Vernon’s ‘muscle’ was recognized today.

“We are thankful to our small, but mighty team in the Department of Planning and Community Development for putting in the extra hours and dedication to bring back Memorial Field and give arts and culture room to grow and thrive.”